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The Psychology Behind Conspiracies 23

Flat Earthers and the

Psychology Behind

Conspiracy Theories

Continued from Page 18

Lizzie Wade wrote a piece in The
Atlantic titled “In Defense of Flat-Earthers,”
which took a compassionate leap toward the
fringe information ecosystem. “Arguing that the
Earth is flat is a fringe position in a fringe
movement,” Wade wrote. “But B.o.B’s Twitter
crusade illuminates the best qualities of outsider
physics: its skepticism, its curiosity, and its
fierce desire to make sense of a confusing world
in a rigorous way. These same values lie at the
heart of mainstream science, too.”
One recalls the pseudoscientists of the
nineteenth century, like zetetic astronomist
Samuel Rowbotham, and how much knowledge
has evolved and opinions have shifted since implicit consent of conspiracy. At a more basic still in power, in some form. The entire
then. How they too illuminated the best qualities level, it’s implicit consent of meritless anarchy,
government of the United States was co-opted.
of outsider physics. Phrenology, the study of the the sabotaging of science, and the systematic One guy did it? I don't think so."
skull as a diviner of character, once had erasure of the social contract.
respectable followers such as Andrew Carnegie, “They want you to believe that you are Incidentally, Willis was not killed for saying
Thomas Edison, and Walt Whitman. Is it not just this tiny rock flying through this vast, empty what he said. He's still alive, cranking out Die
entirely possible then that some our discoveries vacuum of space and you’re not special at all,” Hard sequels.
of today will be the pseudoscience of tomorrow? said Sargent when I asked him what his qualms
In many instances, it’s not about the creed at all, were with mainstream science. “And everything
Woody Harrelson - Woody Harrelson has
but how it’s invoked. In its attempt to dismantle in your life and everything in the universe is
been a vocal 9/11 truther, going so far as to
science, and teach children to do the same, flat absolutely happenstance and there’s no method
become attached to a film that would "demand
Earth along with other conspiracy theories are to it at all. There’s no purpose and you should
an independent investigation into the tragic
capable of eroding public engagement as well as just feel alone and afraid. The more the globe is
events of 9/11." The film, which was to star
interest in issues of political significance. “So let reinforced, the more our insignificance is.” It’s
fellow truthers Martin Sheen and Ed Asner,
a million theories flourish, including hard to not feel a pang of sympathy, or
collapsed due to a lack of funding.
#FlatEarth,” Wade concludes. “When they come humanity. But if Lehman is right when he says
from a place of such genuine curiosity and that “anomie characterizes, on a sociological
Whoopi Goldberg - Goldberg celebrated the
creativity, who cares if they’re wrong?” I mean, level, what lies behind conspiracy theories,” I
40th anniversary of the moon landing by
I do. cannot, like Wade suggested, let the theory
questioning it, wondering on The View "Why is
Celebrities like B.o.B. and Kyrie Irving flourish.
the flag rippling? There’s no air," and asking,
are helping to make such theories more Daniel Shenton, former president of the
"Who shot the footage?" The flag didn't ripple
pervasive by propagating them on social media. Flat Earth Society, is one of the people
but apparently unfolded with wrinkles in it, and
While B.o.B created a GoFundMe in the hopes responsible for helping to let flat Earth theory
the footage was shot by the astronauts
of subsidizing his research, Irving recently flourish and his conversion is, in some ways, a
themselves.
divulged in an interview with morning radio familiar story. Shenton, like Sargent, used to
show Toucher and Rich that his propagation of accept that the Earth was round. Shenton, like
flat Earth was an “exploitation tactic” and an Sargent, (almost) appears to be a level-headed Roseanne Barr - Barr has been a longtime
attempt to have an “open conversation.” In other and charismatic human being seized by the subscriber to the chemtrails theory, claiming that
words, Kyrie believes the Earth is, in fact, dogged desire to unveil “truth.” But after the biotech giant Monsanto was spraying
round. “It created a division,” he said. “Does hearing English musician Thomas Dolby’s 1984 aluminum particles in the atmosphere to create a
that knock my intellectual capacity or the fact album The Flat Earth, in which Dolby proposes "mirror" to help them poison their crops with
that I can think different things than you can?” that the Earth can be “dark and cold or bright chemicals.
Do us a favor, Kyrie—next time perhaps choose and warm, long or thin or small,” Shenton began
a subject that isn’t an objective scientific truth. to question the whole schema of scientific Courtney Love - Love put her plane tracking
Encourage open discourse by all means, but reasoning that had been fed to him. And like skills to work in 2014, suggesting she may have
don’t drag our unsuspecting youth into your Sargent, he too came to the conclusion that the found the disappeared Malasyia Air Flight
elaborate trollery. Earth had to be flat. When I asked Dolby, he MH370. She wasn't adamant that she'd found it,
Not everyone’s propagation of flat Earth said, “The Earth can be any shape you want it to however, finishing a Facebook post with "but
is an exploitation tactic though. Many be!” It is, after all, an imperfect sphere, and we what do I know?"
conspiracy theorists feel let down, not listened are imperfect humans.
to, and pushed further to the periphery, where Martin Sheen - Former The West Wing star
they develop suspicions that spawn outlandish Martin Sheen, father of fellow conspiracy
theories intended to explain the unexplainable. Some More Celebrities theorist Charlie Sheen, has talked about his
When they take to the internet to confirm these Who Believe in feelings on the collapse of World Trade Center
suspicions, they find themselves embedded in, Building 7. "There are obviously a lot of
what Starbird describes as “the structure of the Conspiracy Theories unanswered questions, let me leave it that way,
alternative media ecosystem,” in which “content that are very, very disturbing," he said. "The key
that is hosted and spread there suggest the use of to that is Building 7 and how that came down
Bruce Willis - Willis chimed in with his
intentional disinformation tactics — meant to under very, very suspicious circumstances.” The
thoughts about who "really" killed John F.
create “muddled thinking” and a general elder Sheen acknowledged that his son Charlie
Kennedy, saying in 2007, "They still haven't
mistrust in information.” If this is the case, then "got [him] interested" in the theory.[]
caught the guy that killed Kennedy. I'll get killed
withholding of logic and reason is, at its worst,
for saying this, but I'm pretty sure those guys are